Friday, February 20, 2009

Taxes With Zeke


She says that going to get her taxes done each year feels like a trip to the confessional. I agree that it is quite stressful to think about in advance, but once we are in our CPA’s office, tucked into our respective chairs, we are as content as two clams. John is “Mr. Virginia” personified: charming as all get-out and possessed of a wicked sense of humor. I don’t pay any of my other friends for a pleasant hour spent in their company, but if I had as good a time with them as I have at John’s office once a year, I might think about it. It helps to have a friend who tells you that you don’t owe the government anything and you’re getting enough money back to celebrate with a hot dog lunch at Melito’s.

Mostly, She sits in her chair and muses out loud about whatever or whomever happens to be running through her mind at the moment, I play straight woman, and John manages to participate without ever looking up from his Dell laptop.

She: You know, Gerald is only 80.

Me: What do you mean, only 80?

She: He acts like he’s 103.

John [typing]: If yew ah 103, yew don’ act lak anythin’. Yew jus’ lay theah.

Today we finally got to meet Zeke, John’s wonderful English terrier. We’ve admired his photos for six years, but never got to meet the guy in person. Isn’t he a prince? Don’t tell Pancho.

2 comments:

  1. It's Spuds! Remember when I had a crush on Spuds? Who turned out to be a girl, but since Spuds was a dog in the first place, this hardly seems to matter. And now that I think about it, since Spuds McKenzie was in the world as a man, Spuds would be a transgender dog, and therefore, it is appropriate that we call Spuds "he."

    Anyway, Zeke is cute.

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  2. You and She are blessed indeed if you can find joy in doing taxes. :-) And Zeke is a handsome fellow, but he's got nothing on Pancho. I mean, can he howl on command? Can he bite your feet when you squeal "Eek"?

    I didn't think so.

    (I'm so glad you liked the Cynthia Rylant book. She has another, "When I Was Young in the Mountains" that has one of my favorite opening lines ever: "When I was young in the mountains, Grandfather came home in the evening covered with the black dust of a coal mine. Only his lips were clean, and he used them to kiss the top of my head.")

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